ABC News: “The president wants a clean sweep”

[sabra]

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2007/01/replacements_fo.html

Replacements for Generals Abizaid and Casey

ABC News' Martha Raddatz Reports: ABC News has learned that the president intends to nominate Admiral William J. Fallon to replace General John Abizaid at Central Command. The announcement is expected next week, before the president gives his Iraq strategy speech, according to US officials.

Officials also tell ABC that the replacement as MNF-I commander in Iraq (replacing Gen. George Casey) will be LTG David Petraeus. Though Casey was originally staying in position till June, he is expected to leave earlier than expected probably in the next few months.

“The president wants a clean sweep” an official told ABC News.

Fallon, who is in the Navy, is currently head of Pacific Command; he will be overseeing two ground wars, so the appointment is highly unusual.

[Beetwasher]

1. Out With The Old Ass Kissers

In w/ the new. Chapped lips and all.

[babylonsister]

2. Dimson wants to surround himself with 'yes' men. So he got his wish.

I would love Generals Abizaid and Casey to share their side of this story after they retire.

[tblue]

7. They have to retire in order to be able to speak freely. I hope the do, too.

[aquart]

3. George is really gung ho to destroy all our military capability, ain't he?

I'm just hoping one of those new generals will give him an actual instead of figurative blow job and we can do something constructive here.

[fooj]

4. Hmmmm...

wonder if this has anything to do with the ships we have been sending to the Persian Gulf.

Fallon, who is in the Navy, is currently head of Pacific Command; he will be overseeing two ground wars, so the appointment is highly unusual.

:grr:

[Hubert Flottz]

5. "so the appointment is highly unusual."

Not when you factor in the Carrier groups on stand-by near Iran.

[BuyingThyme]

6. Can we assume that everybody left standing was in on

9/11?

[Botany]

8. Hitler did much the same thing in his Russian front war

Despite his Generals telling him what a bad idea it was to split his Army
and attack Stalingrad he went right ahead because he found a few boot
licks to go along with his crazy plan

This man needs locked up.

[MrModerate]

9. Actually, I worked with Petraeus in Iraq . . .

And he's one of the good guys. Understood from Day One that nation-building was the only thing that would save the Iraq adventure from sheer disaster and did all he could up in Tikrit/Mosul to build trust between his soldiers and Iraqis of various ethinic and religious stripes.

He's frakkin' doomed to failure now, of course, but I don't doubt he'll try to extract something good from the situation. Not a shrinking violet either (told Bremer off more than once) and might just let Dim Son in on the fact that the pooch is completely screwed and redeployment is the only sane option.

[annabanana]

20. If he DOES tell Dim Son what's what. .

The idiot son will just find someone else...

[pdxmom]

10. It's pretty clear to me why Casey and Abizaid are out. They no longer

will support any whim that jumps into Chimpy's little brain. They aren't toeing the line, so they've gotta so, just like Chimpy dumped Shenseki when he called for more troops in the beginning.

I feel like we have a little Napoleon in charge of this country, who, in his mind, is just moving a bunch of plastic army men around on a little board.

[Renew Deal]

11. I believe that Petraeus is an expert at counter-insurgency.

I remember reading that in Thomas Ricks book Fiasco.

[Greeby]

13. Shrub actually appointing an expert to a position?

I'm shocked, I tell ye :wow:

[jmowreader]

12. I will never figure out what General Petraeus is still doing on active duty

As in, I thought Bush already fired all the people like him. This guy makes Eric Shinseki look like a Bush syncophant.

The first time General Petraeus showed up on DU's radar screen, he was commander of the 101st Airborne Division, and he was in either Time or Newsweek complaining about how fucked up the war was going--and this was very early on. General Petraeus instantly made my list of favorite generals, right behind General Paul Menoher and General Jack McMull. (This isn't the time for it, but one of these days I'll drag out my favorite Fat Jack McMull story.)

If George Bush is so fucking stupid he'd put David Petraeus in charge of anything, he deserves everything he's going to get.

[lala_rawraw]

14. a queen's slip?

a clan slap?
a cloned sheep?

sorry, too much Monty Python for me:)

[eagler]

15. It's becoming all too clear who really needs to be replaced.

Hint : It's the same one that got us into this mess to start with!

[Warpy]

16. What a stupid piece of shit he is

The problem is HIS WAR, not the generals trying to do the impossible and win it for him so he can strut and crow over his fucking legacy.

The war is UNWINNABLE unless he can talk the US public into accepting the slaughter of every male over 5, and then it would only stall the inevitable until the next generation grew up.

[xchrom]

17. ''he will be overseeing two ground wars, so the appointment is highly unusual.''

is the other ground war going so well that he thinks this guy can handle two?

[SoCalDem]

18. Cue "Fantasia"

[applegrove]

19. Et lui - Cheney?

[LaPera]

21. Just another in a series of tactics to keep his war for profit going.